Less than two weeks before Pakistan’s upcoming election, former Prime Minister Imran Khan was sentenced on Tuesday to 10 years in prison. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has faced significant challenges in contesting the election.
The sentence was pronounced inside Adiala jail, where Khan has been detained since his arrest in August 2023. He has faced a series of court cases, which he claims are designed to block his political comeback.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the vice-president of the PTI party and former foreign minister under Khan, received the same sentence.
A PTI party spokesman confirmed the sentences and state media also reported the convictions, the AFP reported.
The convictions of both men were related to allegations of leaking classified state documents. Khan led the nation from 2018 until his ouster in 2022 via a no-confidence vote, following the loss of military support.
Khan has been a vocal critic of the military establishment, accusing them of conspiring against him, including an alleged assassination attempt.
Following his arrest in May, Islamabad initiated a crackdown on PTI, leading to defections and some leaders going into hiding.
Human rights activist and political analyst Tauseef Ahmed Khan described the sentencing as a “murder of justice,” predicting a surge in Khan’s popularity due to perceived injustice.
Ahead of the elections, PTI’s visibility has significantly diminished. The party lost its election symbol, and its candidates have been compelled to run as independents.
Meanwhile, Nawaz Sharif, a prominent figure in Pakistani politics, has returned from exile and seen his convictions overturned, signalling his possible favour with the military establishment.
Pakistan’s constitution mandates elections within 90 days of parliament’s dissolution, which occurred five months ago in August.
The delay, attributed by the election commission to redrawing constituency boundaries following a new census, has led to an interim government viewed as compliant with military interests.
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